Odeara - The Era Of Embers

Chapter 26 - Wake

His eyes open to a wounded battlefield. Troops are inspecting the bodies, and looting steel off the corpses that remain. He looks at his body and hands. He could feel each pump of his beating heart, and turns to see a blade to his head.

Soldier : We have a survivor!

They rush to the soldiers position, and tie him. His arms now bound. He watches as they pack carriages full of broken and burnt steel. A massive pit dug, and remains are tossed inside. They level the land, and pack it tight. It rests as a mass grave, for people he slept with in the peace of the night. They pull the brakes out of the wheels, and the horses begin to drag the loot to Gahlne. They wrap his privates in torn cloth, and once they reach the city, they drag him out from his bindings. He looks at the city. Vaguely remembering the sight, seen through the glassy eyes of another. He looks to where they are taking him. A noose. The Queen stands on the platform, waiting. The words feel like white noise, and he finally vomits. The taste of rotting flesh finally makes its way into the throat. His eyes feel like two miniature suns burning in his skull. He screams. The guards punch him, and flinch. The heat emanating from his body sears their skin. His chest glows. A faint glow from the center where his heart sits. Regardless, they drag him to the platform. His ears slowly give themselves to the surroundings.

Myne : ...to uphold justice! Who stands before me here, is a prisoner from Sakari's failed invasion! Let his death prove the strength of Girahan!

Vasa : Girahan... You're Myne, then?

Myne : Do not address me. You will soon know your pl-

His muscles flex, and it snaps the rope and steel holding him. The guards pull their swords out, and point them toward Vasa.

Vasa : Duiava... she killed them all. A country that promised her aid, treating her as if she is now a criminal.

Myne : Duiava? The dragon girl?

Vasa : My name is Vasa! She gave her life for you so you can live, so I can be free! What my people call a beast, to do something benevolent and save your people. She had no reason to give her life to you, to me, for anyone. Three times she has died. Is that not true benevolence?! A creature unbound to our ideals and beliefs, saving us? Should she not be praised instead of demonized?!

Myne eases the guards, and they back away from Vasa.

Myne : ...It is true. My anger had no bounds when Allisia returned to me, and seeing the carriages carrying what remained of our troops broke me. Looking at the gross craftsmanship of the Sakari sickened me. I let my anger swell inside. My son beared the neglect he would never have faced if I knew how to handle myself. In that moment... I wanted hell.

Myne bows to Vasa, and the crowd mumbles and gasps in shock. She raises her head, and eases the crowd.

Myne : In that moment, you and Duiava acted as a benevolent ruler. Understanding, calm, and in control. It would be my pleasure to hold festivities in your honor.

Vasa : There's is no need. I need to return to my people. They need assistance and guidance from their warriors.

Myne : Yes, of course. Prepare a boat for our hero, and send him with our finest craftsmen. A promise I had neglected to fulfill.

The guards escort Vasa to the port, and he looks onto the ocean. A sweet breeze flows through, and the soothing sound of the waves crashing against the stones on the beach. A chapter in his life has finished. Ironically, one he was barely awake for. Yet he feeling stays true. There is more to come. Love, hatred. He can feel while he is riding the path of peace, eventually war will come for some other reason. Vasa digs his toes into the sand, wondering how many others of his kin have ever felt this sensation. By the afternoon, the boat has been loaded, and it sets sail. He drinks with the sailors. The numbness following the taste of rum, eased away with the vast array of dishes he has never seen in his life. The mellow taste of all the food is a hard shock from the home-cooked meals that would clear his entire sinus. The process repeats for a week, as he gets to know the men aboard the ship. A weakness growing. The Sakari that Duiava had killed. Were they not like these men sitting beside him? Full of history, culture, ideas, and skills? Fighting and being a warrior is tested within him. Is he not robbing others of their kin? Yet, he can't just sit and watch them pillage and kill his own. A terrible conflict, a warrior with a conscious. The boat finally makes contact with the land, and they set their feet onto the cold, snow covered grass. The cold air burns their lungs. To Vasa, it feels like a soothing wave. Home.